Teenager Eve Hamilton lives on an Earth that four generations ago became uninhabitable, the ground outside barren and the sun to hot to live under. Forced to live in the underground Compound Eleven, Eve and the others on her floor fight for their survival, while those at the very lowest levels are the slaves of the new order--at the top are the gilded offices of the elite. Things begin to change when Eve's newest fight ring opponent turns out to be a mysterious boy from that top floor, and in meeting him, Eve begins to see a way out to fight for her freedom.